8 week ultrasound: Everything you need to know to prepare

8 weeks is the final week of the second month of pregnancy. At this time, you’re entering the final stretch of your first trimester, and your baby is developing rapidly, which is why early screenings typically begin around this time.

An 8 week ultrasound is generally not considered too early. This is the time when many healthcare providers schedule the first routine screenings. However, it’s also possible to do it for certain medical reasons, such as pain or bleeding.

Regardless of the reason, an 8 week ultrasound is an important stage for confirming pregnancy viability. During it, a doctor can locate the fetus in the uterus, identify multiples, estimate the due date, and rule out a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and other complications.

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So, you’ve entered the 8th week, which marks the end of the second month of your pregnancy. At this time, your baby is growing and developing fast, so you can feel more pronounced early pregnancy symptoms. At the same time, you may feel heightened anxiety and want to know how well your pregnancy progresses. So it might be the time when you want to have your first ultrasound screening and confirm that everything’s good.

Is 8 weeks too early for an ultrasound? Or, if not, when is it done, and what should you expect from it? In this guide, we’ll answer all common questions about an 8 week ultrasound to help you prepare for this important milestone and set realistic expectations.

8 Weeks of Pregnancy: What’s Happening Inside Your Body?

8 weeks mark the end of the second month of your pregnancy. At this time, you’re entering the final stretch (last month) of your first trimester, and, of course, there is quite a lot going on at this time. During week 8, your placenta continues developing, getting ready to provide oxygen and nutrients to the baby and remove the waste. It’s also sprouting little branches that will enable it to attach to your womb’s walls later on.

At this time, your baby should be around 16 mm long, the size of a raspberry. Its growth and development continue at a rapid pace. Just a week from now, it will double in size. The baby’s physical features are also continuing to form. At week 8, the fetus’s arms and legs are getting longer and become more visible.

Due to the fast development of your baby, it’s natural to feel tired and have more pronounced pregnancy symptoms at this time. It’s also the time when many women feel more anxious and stressed about the progression of their pregnancy, which is why proper self-care becomes more important than ever.

When Do You Get Your First Ultrasound?

As you enter the final month of the first trimester, you probably want to start monitoring the development of your pregnancy. And, of course, you can’t wait to see your baby and hear the heartbeat for the first time. Not to mention, an ultrasound plays a crucial role in psychological adaptation to pregnancy and anxiety relief. Studies show that ultrasound screenings helped diminish anxiety regardless of the trimester. However, the first screenings done in the first trimester have also shown additional benefits, such as an easier identification with the motherhood role and the improvement of the relationship with the partner. So, it’s absolutely natural to wonder: when do you get your first ultrasound?

Usually, the first ultrasound screening is performed between 6-9 weeks of pregnancy. First-trimester scans are important for confirming pregnancy, assessing the baby’s location in the uterus, checking the heartbeat, and calculating the estimated due date.

Nevertheless, the exact timing of your first ultrasound depends a lot on your healthcare provider. Some providers prefer to schedule early scans, whereas others suggest you wait until closer to 12 weeks. The timing also depends on your symptoms, fertility history, and other individual factors. It’s even possible to have a screening earlier, during 5 weeks, if there are reasons for that.

8 Week Ultrasound: Is It Too Early?

If you’re wondering if having an 8 weeks pregnant ultrasound is too early, the short answer is “no.” 

8 weeks isn’t considered too early for a first-trimester ultrasound. On the contrary, it’s a common time for your first-ever screening. An 8 week ultrasound is commonly known as a “dating and viability” ultrasound. During it, a healthcare provider performs the following crucial procedures:

• Confirms pregnancy viability
• Rules out ectopic pregnancy and other complications
• Estimates the due date
• Identifies multiple pregnancies

Why Have an 8 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound?

As you already know, often, an 8 week ultrasound is a routine procedure scheduled by a healthcare provider to perform early checks. However, not all providers schedule the first screening at 8 weeks. Some prefer to wait longer. So, sometimes, an ultrasound at 8 weeks can be performed due to medical causes.

Most often, the primary medical reason to do a pregnancy ultrasound earlier is to investigate problems and address existing concerns. This is frequently done if a woman experiences pain or bleeding. As you may know, bleeding and/or pain in early pregnancy could signal a miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy. Due to these reasons, it’s important to report such symptoms to your healthcare provider, who will likely schedule an ultrasound to rule out any complications. Still, it’s important to remember that bleeding and pain could also be a normal occurrence. According to different figures, between 15% and 25% of all pregnant women experience bleeding in the first 12 weeks, so there is no reason to worry just yet. If you notice any disturbing symptoms, just contact your doctor and follow their recommendations.

If there is no bleeding, pain, or other disturbing symptoms, it’s also common to have an 8 week ultrasound scheduled if you have a history of fertility issues. For example, women who have experienced a miscarriage in the past or received fertility treatment are often subject to more frequent and meticulous monitoring. This is needed to mitigate the potential risks and ensure a healthy pregnancy development.

What Kind of Ultrasound Is Done at 8 Weeks?

There are two types of ultrasounds used in pregnancy – a transvaginal and an abdominal one. The majority of women (especially those who are pregnant with their first child) know mainly about an abdominal ultrasound, as it’s frequently demonstrated in popular media. And this can create false expectations because, in reality, you should expect to have a transvaginal ultrasound in early pregnancy.

It’s a common practice to use a transvaginal option during an 8 week ultrasound because the baby is still very small. Due to its small size, it may not be possible to get an image through the abdomen yet. Besides, a transvaginal ultrasound implies inserting a transducer inside the vagina. Thanks to its close proximity to your pelvic organs, such an ultrasound can give a more detailed and clearer image, allowing for a more accurate assessment.

What Will You See in an 8 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound?

Now that you know more about an 8 week ultrasound and how it’s done, the last question that might be there is what you can and can’t see during this screening.

The good news is that screenings at 8 weeks can show you much more than those performed at 5, 6, or 7 weeks. By this time, your baby is larger and has a more distinct shape. That is, you will finally be able to see the embryo.

In an ultrasound image, the embryo will typically look like a small figure with the shape of a bean. The baby’s head will likely be the most pronounced as it’s currently almost as large as the rest of the fetus's body. Also, it’s possible to see smaller shapes representing the baby’s developing limbs. However, the clarity of the image will depend on individual factors, your baby’s pace of development, and the machine used.

Apart from the embryo, you will be able to see the gestational sac, yolk sac, amniotic sac, and fetal pole. Your healthcare provider will explain to you what you see in the image during the appointment.

Most excitingly, during an 8 week ultrasound, you can expect to see/hear the baby’s heartbeat. At this time, it beats fast, typically between 110 and 180 beats per minute.

FAQ

Is 8 weeks too early for an ultrasound?

No, it’s not. 8 weeks is generally considered a good time to have your first routine screenings. By this time, your baby is better developed and can be seen in an ultrasound more clearly. Also, by this time, the heartbeat should be easily detectable, which is why many healthcare providers schedule the dating and viability ultrasound around this time.

What does an 8 week ultrasound look like?

By 8 weeks, your baby has already grown a little and developed its initial physical features. Thus, an ultrasound image at this time will look more like an embryo rather than a bean, as in earlier scans, for example, at 6 weeks. Yet, you shouldn’t expect to see your baby clearly just yet. Probably, the most exciting part of an 8 week ultrasound is seeing the flicker of the heart. Also, it’s important to remember that the image can vary depending on the machine used and your body’s individual characteristics.

Do I need to prepare for an 8 week ultrasound in any way?

No. Generally, an ultrasound at 8 weeks does not require any special preparation. However, it’s important to consider that healthcare providers use transvaginal ultrasounds early in pregnancy. In this kind of ultrasound, the transducer that’s located inside the vagina (and its movement) might cause slightly discomforting pressure on the bladder, so it’s often recommended to pee before your screening.

Conclusion

As you now know, scheduling an 8 week ultrasound is a common procedure. Many providers will suggest you have your first routine screening around this time to confirm pregnancy viability and estimate the due date. However, the exact timing of screening depends on your provider.

Hopefully, this guide gives you a better understanding of why and how an ultrasound is performed at 8 weeks. Also, you should have a better understanding of what to expect from your early screenings. Use this knowledge as a roadmap to your early screenings to prevent unnecessary worries and set realistic expectations.

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